The champion Boston Celtics’ 132-109 blowout win against the New York Knicks in their season opener tied the NBA record for most threes in a single game (29). For many, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics’ early three-point shooting dominance signals no championship hangover for the 2024 champions, and the numbers are staggering. During a recent segment on ESPN’s Hoop Collective with Brian Windhorst, analysts Tim Bomtemps and Tim MacMahon have magnified Boston’s elite three-point shooting and its significance early on in the 2024-25 regular season.
“36–1 last year when they shot 40 percent or better from three, regardless of what the opponent did. 55-5 when they shot 34 percent or better, and obviously they went 64–18, so, they were 9–12 when they were under 34 percent,” Bontemps said.
MacMahon points out that 34% isn’t impressive for three-point shooting. It’s a low average, as Windhorst agreed with Tim. Thus, the Celtics’ early dominant stretch of victories is all the more impressive for the defending champions.
“If they’re mediocre or better from three-point range, they’re damn near unbeatable,” MacMahon added.
Boston had the second-highest three-point shooting percentage last season (38.3%). Only the Oklahoma City Thunder converted threes at a higher clip (38.5%). In 2023-24, the Celtics went 37-4 at home while connecting on 39.5% of their threes.
The Celtics shot 47.5% in their win against the Knicks, connecting on an incredible 29-of-61 three-point attempts. The starting lineup, including Jayson Tatum, who made eight three-point attempts, went 26-of-41 (63%), which is absurd. Sam Hauser (2-for-7) and Payton Pritchard (1-for-9) combined for 2-for-16 from deep.
Jayson Tatum weighs in on MVP chatter amid hot start
Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum finished with 37 points on a sizzling 14-of-18 attempts, including 8-of-11 three-point shooting, 10 assists, and four rebounds in the Celtics’ 132-109 victory against the New York Knicks. Then, he followed up the masterful performance with 25 points (9-of-20), 11 rebounds, six assists, and one steal in a 122-102 win against the Washington Wizards on Thursday, triggering early MVP chatter around Tatum’s early start.
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After Thursday’s win, Tatum talked about balancing the desire to reach individual success with prioritizing the betterment of the team’s success.
“As a kid, you set a lot of goals for yourself. And I’ve been very fortunate to check off a lot of boxes of things that I want to accomplish. Saying that [winning] MVP is important to me is not taking away from the success of our team,” Tatum said. “Every guy that has ever won MVP has been on a championship-contending team. If you’re an MVP, you’re dominating, you’re efficient, you’re playing the right way, and you’re impacting winning.
“So you can do both. Championship is the most important, but being the best version of yourself along the way is important as well,” Tatum concluded.
The champion Celtics will look to go 3-0 when they face the Pistons on Saturday.